Female Body Dissatisfaction Research Articles

Peran Harga Diri Terhadap Ketidakpuasan Bentuk Tubuh Remaja Perempuan

Body dissatisfaction is a serious phenomenon that requires precautions because it generates a serious of health complications, including impaired well-being. Self-esteem is one of the factors that can predict body dissatisfaction.This study aims to determine the role of self-esteem to body dissatisfaction in adolescent female. There are 250 adolescents female determined in this study using a purposive sampling technique. The BSQ-34 from Cooper et al. (1987) was applied to assess body dissatisfaction and the state self-esteem scale from Heatherton & Polivy (1991) was used to assess self-esteem. The regression model indicates r= -0.345, F= 16,996, B= -0,321 (p<0,000), which is means that self-esteem has a very significant role in predicting body dissatisfaction in adolescent females. These findings indicate that if adolescents have high self-esteem then dissatisfaction with their bodies is low, conversely if adolescents' self-esteem is low then adolescents will experience high body dissatisfaction. Appearance is the aspect of self-esteem that contributes the most to predicting body dissatisfaction, with r = -0,386,( p <0,000). Negatif appraisal of physical appearance can cause highest body dissatisfaction in female. That is the reason why it is important to have a possitive appraisal to avoid body dissatisfaction in adolescent female.

An examination of the relationship between height, height dissatisfaction, drive for thinness and muscularity, and eating disorder symptoms in north American women

Recent research has evidenced the importance of height dissatisfaction in male body image, however the impact of height on body image in women remains relatively unexplored. Our study aimed to investigate the association between height, heightdissatisfaction, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptoms in a sample of 139 women from the USA. Participants were recruited using Amazon's MTurk and reported their actual and ideal height, as well as completing measures of height dissatisfaction, and drive for thinness, drive for muscularity, and eating disorder symptoms. A paired sample t-test was utilised to examine differences in participants’ actual and ideal height. Additionally, linear hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess whether height, eating disorder symptoms, drive for thinness, and drive for muscularity uniquely predicted height dissatisfaction, and significant interactions were explored using a simple slope analysis complemented with a Johnson-Neyman analysis. Results showed that 48.92% of women reported identical actual and ideal height, 33.09% of women wanted to be taller, and 13.67% wanted to be shorter than their actual height. Additionally, shorter women tended to report greater height dissatisfaction, and higher levels of drive for thinness and drive for muscularity were associated with increased height dissatisfaction. However, eating disorder symptoms did not uniquely account for significant variance in height dissatisfaction once accounting for drive for thinness and muscularity. Our exploratory analysis also revealed that for taller than average women, height dissatisfaction was more strongly predicted by drive for muscularity, thus implicating the significance of height and muscle dissatisfaction for taller women. Overall, our study demonstrated that height and height dissatisfaction are important components to the theoretical construct of women’s body image, and therefore should be integrated into theoretical models of female body dissatisfaction and considered in assessment, formulation, and treatment of body image-related disorders. Further research with larger and more diverse samples, including clinical populations, is warranted to validate and extend our findings.

The Impact Of Race And Ethnic Identity On Body Dissatisfaction In College Age Females

Body dissatisfaction (BD) negatively impacts health risk behaviors (drug, alcohol use, and self-harm), mental health outcomes (self-esteem, depression, and suicidal ideation) and psychosocial quality of life in females. Most of the research conducted on BD has primarily studied White females and their drive for thinness; this research is limited and less generalizable because it lacks representation of diverse racial populations in the US. PURPOSE: To assess how race impacts a woman’s BD. METHODS: Female college students between the ages of 18-25 years were recruited to take an online survey. Demographic and body image questionnaires were used. An independent t-test was used to analyze the impact of race on BD. A linear regression model was used to assess the impact of demographic data on BD. RESULTS: Participants (N = 314; 21.81 ± 2.05 years; 33.1% Non-White) had an average BMI of 25.30 ± 6.14 kg/m2. After separating the sample by race (White females versus Non-White females), BD was assessed. BD is scored from 1 to 5 with lower scores indicating higher BD. White females (n = 192) scored 3.16 ± 0.71 while Non-White females (n = 98) scored 3.19 ± 0.71 (p = .722); thus, there was no significant difference between BD in White versus Non-White females. Race (B = -.23, p < .797) was not shown to significantly influence body image, however, females with a higher BMI had a higher level of BD (B = -.035, p < .001). Additionally, females in which a majority of their friends engage in health/fitness activities had higher levels of BD (B = -.26, p < .01) with an adjusted R-Square of 0.02 (F(4, 285) = 4.88, p < .001). CONCLUSION: BD impacts woman of multiple races, it is specifically elevated in women of higher BMI and women associating with physically active friends. BD is not confined to White females, it is crucial public health programming centered on body positivity cater to a racially diverse female population. Future research studies should examine qualitative reasons why females who associate with physically active friends have higher levels of BD.

Real-time predictors of body dissatisfaction in females with binge eating: an ecological momentary assessment study.

Body dissatisfaction (BD) is supported as a maintenance factor for eating disorders (EDs) characterized by binge eating (BE). Although it is traditionally conceptualized as a trait construct, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies have shown that it fluctuates within-day and that momentary elevations in BD prospectively predict near-time ED behaviors. However, less is known about the contextual factors that precipitate these fluctuations in BD. The current study thus sought to examine whether certain internal (i.e., negative affect, shape/weight-related cognitions) and environmental (i.e., attending social events, being exposed to thin-ideal media, spending time on social media) factors prospectively predict momentary elevations in BD in females with BE. Participants (n = 25) completed an EMA protocol over 14 days. Data on BD and internal and environmental factors were analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Results showed that (1) greater than one's usual negative affect and shape/weight-related cognitions, and (2) spending time on social media prospectively predicted momentary elevations in BD. Interestingly, attending social events prospectively predicted momentary reductions in BD. These findings may have important implications for conceptualizing and managing BD to prevent ED behaviors. Level II, controlled trial without randomization.

Development and validation of new figural scales for female body dissatisfaction assessment on two dimensions: thin-ideal and muscularity-ideal

BackgroundBody dissatisfaction influences women’s mental and physical health. To date, most research has focused on body dissatisfaction in relation to the ‘thin-ideal’. Thus, the association between body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptomatology and muscularity-ideal in women is less clear. Lack of understanding is underpinned by the lack of reliable and valid muscularity-related assessments for women. To address this need, we developed, tested and re-tested two new body dissatisfaction scales: The Female Body Scale (FBS; adiposity dimension) and Female Fit Body Scale (FFITBS; muscularity dimension).MethodsOne hundred and fifty-two women in the United Kingdom rated which body figure best represented their current and ideal body, completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q 6.0), and their body composition was measured. During re-test, the EDE-Q 6.0 and Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) were completed.ResultsBoth the FBS and the FFITBS were found to be valid and reliable, and distinct types of body dissatisfaction were identified. Higher EDE-Q scores corresponded with greater body dissatisfaction scores on both the FBS and FFITBS. Thin-ideal (FBS) and larger/muscularity-ideal (FFITBS) body dissatisfaction predicted higher scores on the DMS. The muscularity scale (FFITBS) uniquely revealed that 28% of participants indicated body dissatisfaction toward the larger-muscularity-ideal.ConclusionsResults reveal distinct dimensions of body dissatisfaction. These new, validated scales may be utilized to quickly identify eating disorder risk in women as a preventative assessment for clinicians and inform female-focused body-image and eating disorder research.

Last Word: Ending the intergenerational transmission of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating: a call to investigate the mother-daughter relationship

ABSTRACT The ubiquity and gravity of female body dissatisfaction and disordered eating has motivated countless academics and practitioners to better understand and treat these issues. Many researchers have found familial, and more specifically maternal influence, to impact daughters’ development of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Researchers have demonstrated that mothers who struggle with body dissatisfaction and disordered eating tend to transmit and reinforce harmful weight-related attitudes and behaviours to their daughters, which has been found to result in the development of daughters’ own body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Regardless of these findings, little research has been conducted to explore the ways in which mothers can attempt to end the intergenerational transmission of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating to daughters. As such, in this article, we call researchers and practitioners to fill this gap in knowledge.

Female Body Dissatisfaction and Attentional Bias to Body Images Evaluated Using Visual Search.

One factor, believed to predict body dissatisfaction is an individual’s propensity to attend to certain classes of human body image stimuli relative to other classes. These attentional biases have been evaluated using a range of paradigms, including dot-probe, eye-tracking and free view visual search, which have yielded a range of – often contradictory – findings. This study is the first to employ a classic compound visual search task to investigate the relationship between body dissatisfaction and attentional biases to images of underweight and with-overweight female bodies. Seventy-one undergraduate females, varying their degree of body dissatisfaction and Body Mass Index (BMI), searched for a horizontal or vertical target line among tilted lines. A separate female body image was presented within close proximity to each line. On average, faster search times were obtained when the target line was paired with a uniquely underweight or with-overweight body relative to neutral (average weight only) trials indicating that body weight-related images can effectively guide search. This congruent search effect was stronger for individuals with high eating restraint (a behavioral manifestation of body image disturbance) when search involved a uniquely underweight body. By contrast, individuals with high BMIs searched for lines more rapidly when paired with with-overweight rather than underweight bodies, than did individuals with lower BMIs. For incongruent trials – in which a unique body was paired with a distractor rather than the target – search times were indistinguishable from neutral trials, indicating that the deviant bodies neither compulsorily “captured” attention nor reduced participants’ ability to disengage their attention from either underweight or with-overweight bodies. These results imply the existence of attentional strategies which reflect one’s current body and goal-directed eating behaviors.

Prospective changes in disordered eating and body dissatisfaction across women's first year of college: The relative contributions of sociocultural and college adjustment risk factors

Sociocultural models have consistently been used to explain the etiology of disordered eating (DE) and body dissatisfaction (BD) among female college students, but less is known about how college adjustment factors, such as missing friends from home and stress about academic performance, relate to the progression of female students' DE and BD during the transition into college. The present study examined changes in DE thoughts and BD during the first year of college by merging the college adjustment and DE fields to evaluate the comparative impact of the two areas of research. Female undergraduates (N = 119) reported on DE risk factors, college adjustment factors, DE thoughts, and BD during their first (Time 1) and second (Time 2) semesters of college. Hierarchical regressions controlling for Time 1 outcome variables found that perceived stress at Time 1 enhanced the prediction of increases in DE severity beyond DE risk factors alone, suggesting that efforts targeted at making the transition to college easier may assist in decreasing DE severity for young women.

Body Mass Index and Nationality (Argentine vs. Spanish) Moderate the Relationship Between Internalization of the Thin Ideal and Body Dissatisfaction: A Conditional Mediation Model.

It is believed that Women’s exposure to Western sociocultural pressures to attain a “thin-ideal” results in the internalization of a desire to be thin that consequently leads to body dissatisfaction (BD). It is also well documented that body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) correlates with BD. We tested for the first time a conditional mediation model where thin-ideal Awareness predicted BD through Internalization of the thin ideal and the path from Internalization to BD was hypothesized to be moderated by BMI and Nationality (Argentine vs. Spanish). The model was tested with a sample of 499 young women (age = 18 to 29) from Argentina (n = 290) and Spain (n = 209). Awareness and internalization were measured with the SATAQ-4 (Schaefer et al., 2015) and BD was measured with the BSQ (Cooper et al., 1987). The model was analyzed using PROCESS v3.1 (Hayes, 2018). As hypothesized, thin-ideal awareness predicted BD through internalization and the path from internalization to BD was moderated by BMI and nationality. Specifically, internalization predicted BD at all level of BMI and in both samples, but the relationship between internalization and BD increased with BMI and was also stronger among Spaniards than Argentines. We argue that the findings are congruent with theories that predict that economic development and modernization contribute to normative female BD through internalization of the thin ideal and that upward social comparisons or cognitive discrepancy between self-perceived body image and the sociocultural thin ideal interacts synergistically with thin-ideal internalization to increase BD.

The role of ethnicity in the relationship between media exposure and female body dissatisfaction

In a multi-ethnic society, it is important to recognise the extent to which ‘new media’ influence the wellbeing and, more concretely, body dissatisfaction in females across ethnicities. This study explores the relationship between mass media and female body image dissatisfaction across ethnic groups by exploring the discrepancy between the ‘current’ and ‘ideal’ perception of body image among African American, Asian, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic/white females in the USA. The study draws on a national online survey of 1,280 respondents between the ages of 18 and 60. The findings indicate television and video streaming consumption are significant predictors of female body dissatisfaction. Ethnicity was found to be a moderator of media consumption and body dissatisfaction. Specifically, Asian females showed significantly lower levels of media consumption than any other ethnic group. The highest level of body dissatisfaction was found among Hispanics, followed by Non-Hispanic, African American and Asian females, in that order.

Competing for love: Applying sexual economics theory to mating contests

Sexual economics theory analyzes the onset of heterosexual sex as a marketplace deal in which the woman is the seller and the man is the buyer, with the price paid in nonsexual resources. We extend that theory to analyze same-gender contests in that marketplace, and to elaborate the idea that what the woman sells is not just sex but exclusive access to her sexual charms. Women compete on sex appeal and on the promise of exclusiveness (faithfulness), with the goal of getting a man who will provide material resources. Men compete to amass material resources, with the goal of getting a good sex partner. Female competition includes showing off her sexual charms, offering sex at a lower price than rivals, seeking to improve her physical assets (e.g., by dieting), and use of informational warfare to sully rivals’ reputations while defending her own reputation against malicious gossip. We review evidence of these patterns, including evidence that female body dissatisfaction and pathological eating patterns increase when women perceive an unfavorable sex ratio (i.e., shortage of eligible men). Men compete in groups to amass resources, so men see other men not just as sexual rivals but also as coalition partners. Male homophobia is often not about sex but rather invokes the stereotype that a homosexual man will not be an effective coalition partner. Misunderstandings about whether sex or exclusivity is the central commitment can complicate marital adjustment for couples.

Attention bias modification produces no changes to appearance-related bias, state or trait body dissatisfaction in nonclinical women.

The potential of attention bias modification to reduce appearance-related attentional biases and female body dissatisfaction has not been investigated. Immediate and short-term effects were therefore examined across attentional biases, state and trait body dissatisfaction in a randomised controlled trial consisting of 62 female participants aged 18–35 years. The results show no changes to attentional bias across either the experimental or control condition and no significant changes in body dissatisfaction immediately post-training or at 1–2 weeks follow-up. Single-session attention bias modification protocols may therefore not be sufficient in modifying appearance-based biases and associated disordered body schemas within a nonclinical sample.

Ideal body image: A male perspective on self

Societal notions of masculinity have changed greatly in the last two decades and males appear more interested in improving or maintaining their appearance in ways traditionally reserved for women (such as the use of cosmetic grooming products). Where female body dissatisfaction and drivers of appearance-related image modification have been studied from a feminine perspective, little research has focused on the perspective of men in relation to these issues. The current study thus examines how males of different ages perceive their physical appearance and what motivates them to undertake activities related to changing or maintaining that appearance. The study does this by asking males to compare themselves to male body images as constructed in the media and by society more generally. An exploratory approach to research is undertaken, utilising focus groups and depth interviews with males in two age cohorts (18–25years and 33–45years). Results suggest that there is a difference in overall perceptions of body image between the two groups, with younger males striving for a lean and muscular body and older males focused on health and lifespan concerns. In contrast to research examining female body perceptions, this study indicates that the media and social comparison act as positive motivators rather than sources of body dissatisfaction.

Expanding Bodies, Expanding God: Feminist Theology in Search of a ‘Fatter’ Future

Accompanying the ‘moral panic’ about an obesity epidemic is a growth in female body dissatisfaction and dieting. This article maintains that feminist theology must play a vital role in returning the future to fat bodies at a time when the estimated spending on diet products in the US alone equals the projected costs of obesity. The theological nature of this task is essential given the way harmful theological systems and associations remerge within commercial dieting settings to help demonize food, appetite and eating and reestablish ancient associations between women, food and sin. This article develops a feminist theology of food and fat by drawing on the lived experiences of women who diet. Engaging with my own ethnography, I argue that feminist theology must challenge the discourses of sin and salvation which resource the ‘secular’ commercial dieting industry, and instead construct theologies which are ‘good to taste’ and nourishing to our bodies.

Masculinity, Femininity and Male Body Image: A Recipe for Future Research

Male body dissatisfaction is now approaching parity with female body dissatisfaction, and generally manifests as either a drive for enhanced thinness, as in anorexia nervosa, or more commonly as a drive for enhanced muscularity, as in muscle dysmorphia. However, little research has been undertaken to explicate the factors implicated in the divergence of male body image disorders amongst body dissatisfied males towards either thinness or muscularity oriented body image concerns. We aim to review several constructs which have been explored in attempting to better understand the causal pathway into this divergence, including sexuality and gender role identification. Gender role orientation may be particularly relevant in underpinning this divergence, in that masculinity is likely implicated in the drive for muscularity, whereas femininity is implicated in the drive for thinness amongst body dissatisfied males. Suggestions and implications for future research in further explicating the role of gender role orientation in the divergence of male body image psychopathology are discussed.

The Association Between Exposure to Mass Media and Body Dissatisfaction Among Spanish Adolescents

Objectives Correlational research has found associations between magazine and television exposure and body dissatisfaction. However, this relation is not direct, and various psychological variables may moderate and/or mediate this relation, such as awareness and internalization of the thin ideals, comparing oneself with ideal body image or self-esteem, as well as the patient’s body mass index (BMI). The aim of this study was to assess the association between magazine and television exposure and body dissatisfaction among Spanish adolescents by gender. A second aim was to determine the predictors of body dissatisfaction by gender. Methods A cross-sectional national survey of 1,165 Spanish secondary students aged 14 to 16 years was conducted. Frequency exposure and type of TV program/magazine as well as other psychological variables, such as thin-ideal internalization and self-esteem, were associated with high levels of body dissatisfaction (BD) based on a cutoff point of 16 or above on the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) by gender. Multiple linear regressions were used to examine associations between body dissatisfaction, mass media topic exposure, BMI, and psychological variables. Results Mass media exposure to a specific kind of content, rather than to total exposure frequency, was more associated with body dissatisfaction in females versus males. In males, five factors accounted for 35% of the total variance of body dissatisfaction and were associated with lower TV and magazine exposure to fitness topics and lower self-esteem and with greater BMI, disordered eating behaviors, and awareness of the thin ideal. For females, high body dissatisfaction was associated with greater internalization of the thin ideal, disordered eating behaviors, BMI, and lower self-esteem (54% of total variance explained). Conclusion There does not seem to be a clear association between media exposure and body dissatisfaction. Further research is necessary to enhance our understanding of how the media’s role affects adolescents’ awareness and internalization of the thin ideals, which may in turn lead to the development of body dissatisfaction and unhealthy weight control behaviors.

Who is The Fairest One of All? How Evolution Guides Peer and Media Influences on Female Body Dissatisfaction

Much attention has focused on the influence of media images of thin women on body dissatisfaction among female viewers. Disagreement exists regarding the nature of media influences, with meta-analytic results suggesting only small effect sizes. Fewer researchers have focused on the role of peer influences and peer competition on female body dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the relation between body dissatisfaction and eating disorders may be more complex than is often implied in the media effects literature. Links between body dissatisfaction and eating disorders may be overstated, and some eating disorders, primarily anorexia nervosa, may not always be motivated primarily by body dissatisfaction. The current paper discusses these issues from an evolutionary perspective, examining how sociocultural forces influence the intensity of female competition and how such competition effects body dissatisfaction.

Associations Between Impulsivity and Body Dissatisfaction in Females at Risk for Developing Eating Disorders

Sixty-one women (40 at-risk for an eating disorder based on the Screening Instrument for Identifying Individuals at Risk for Developing Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa, SCANS) completed a self-report packet of questionnaires concerning executive function, impulsive behavior, mood, anxiety, delayed discounting and measures of body image dissatisfaction. Results revealed that the at-risk group were more depressed, had lower motivation, displayed more empathy, were more anxious (state and trait) and had a greater impulse behavior of urgency.

A Qualitative Exploration of Young Women’s Attitudes towards the Thin Ideal

The thin ideal has been identified as playing a central role in female body dissatisfaction. However, research into idealization of thinness in young women tends to focus on quantitative measures that can mask the complexity of attitudes and experiences. This article describes a series of focus groups with 41 females aged 16-26 and explores the multifaceted relationship young women have with the thin ideal. Thematic qualitative analysis revealed differences between individuals in the construct of the thin ideal and explored the conflict and ambivalence experienced by young women who are confronted by these ideals on a daily basis.

Media images and female body dissatisfaction: The moderating effects of the Five-Factor traits

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine how the Five-Factor personality traits moderated the effects of exposure to idealized images on body dissatisfaction in women. Method Sixty-four college women completed the NEO-PI and the Eating Disorder Inventory and were then randomly exposed to images of either thin fashion models or heavier, (“plus-sized”) models. Following presentation of the stimuli, participants completed a second body esteem measure, which was the dependent variable. Results Women high in neuroticism showed significantly greater shifts in body esteem following exposure to media images than did less neurotic women, feeling more dissatisfied with their bodies after viewing idealized images and more satisfied with their bodies after viewing heavier women. Each of the other traits was associated with more favorable self-appraisals following exposure to the idealizing images. Conclusions Of the Five-Factor traits, the harmful effects of idealized images seem to be limited to women with relatively higher levels of neuroticism. These results suggest that the harmful effects of media images may not be as pervasive as is widely believed.